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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Fire Safety Campaign Encourages Fire Service Professionals to Help Communities Close the Door on Fire

Firefighters participate in a live burn

Photo credit: UL FSRI

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) is working across all levels of the fire service in its “Close Before You Doze” fire safety campaign. This ongoing public education initiative is aimed at teaching the community how to contain a house fire and keep family members safe.

In honor of Fire Prevention Week, UL FSRI burned a fully-furnished home to demonstrate how the simple behavior of closing the doors in a house--particularly before bedtime--can have a potentially life-saving impact on those trapped inside, and what first responders should do when responding to a house fire.

MORE: Closed Doors Can Save Lives | UL FSRI Enlists Firefighters in 'Close Your Door' Campaign | Today's Evolving Fire Attack

“Our research clearly shows that closed doors dramatically decrease heat and CO levels, which provide trapped occupants more time for help to arrive,” said Steve Kerber, UL Director of Firefighter Safety Research. “Closing your doors is especially important at night when people are vulnerable and disoriented, with little time to react. It’s such a simple thing to do, and the result can be life versus death.”

Forty years ago, people had an average of 17 minutes to escape a burning home after the activation of a smoke alarm. Today, according to research by UL FSRI, that window has shrunk to an average of three minutes or less as a result of synthetic furnishing materials, open floor plans and lightweight construction materials, which all accelerate the spread of a fire.

“As members of the fire service, we know the significant impact a closed door can have on the occupants of a burning house,” said Kelvin Thomas, Battalion Chief, Deputy Training Officer/Command Competencies Coordinator of the Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service. “Because of that, we’re excited to be working with UL FSRI to spread the message far and wide within our communities. Our hope is that closing doors becomes second nature in every household across America, and that we see a dramatic decrease in house fire fatalities as a result.”

About UL FSRI

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) advances fire research knowledge and develops cutting edge, practical fire service education aimed at helping firefighters stay safe while more effectively protecting people and property. Guided by a global advisory board comprised of fire service personnel, UL FSRI investigates residential, commercial, and industrial fires through full-scale testing, field-testing, and modeling to replicate actual fires faced by firefighters. Research results are shared through interactive training courses that have reached hundreds of thousands of firefighters globally. To learn more, visit ULFirefighterSafety.org.

About UL

UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. The UL Mark engenders trust enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. We test, inspect, audit, certify, validate, verify, advise, and train. We support these efforts with software solutions for safety and sustainability. To learn more about us, visit Read more

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

North Carolina Fire Station Features “Old Town” Character

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO



Beaufort, North Carolina, is a small town established in 1709 and noted as the third oldest town in the state. Its downtown historic district is a blend of Roman and early American architecture, so when the Beaufort Fire Department needed a new fire station, it wanted a structure that fit in with the historic buildings nearby. Beaufort turned to Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects to design a fire station that fulfilled its wishes.

The Beaufort Fire Department traces its roots back to 1866. It’s a combination department currently staffed by 34 firefighters—a mix of full-time, part-time, and volunteers. The department covers 31 square miles and a population of 11,000 and handles 1,200 calls annually from two stations with three engines, a 100-foot tractor-drawn aerial , two tankers, a brush truck, a utility support vehicle, a fireboat, and two command vehicles.

The Beaufort (NC) Fire Department had Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects design and build its new station that has many contemporary features yet evokes an old-time feel that fits with many of the area’s historic buildings. (Photos courtesy of Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects.)

1 The Beaufort (NC) Fire Department had Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects design and build its new station that has many contemporary features yet evokes an old-time feel that fits with many of the area’s historic buildings. (Photos courtesy of Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects.)

IDENTIFYING THE NEED

Larry W. Fulp, Beaufort’s chief, says the new station replaced a building put up in 1968 that was designed to house only one person at a time. “The old station was 5,600 square feet, and half of that space was for truck bays,” Fulp says. “With four firefighters and two administrators on shift, we outgrew the space and looked to replace it for a number of years.”

Jim Stumbo, a principal at SCN, says his firm had done some design work for areas around Beaufort, so the fire department was familiar with its work in the area. “Beaufort sent out a request for proposals for qualifications, reviewed what they received, and we were the one they selected to design a replacement for the station,” Stumbo notes. “They wanted a design that had an old-time feel and character but would still be contemporary. And, they only wanted a single-level station yet wanted it to have the feel of a two-story building.”

SCN accomplished the two-story aesthetic to the new 12,784-square-foot station by building a tall entryway that appears to be two stories as well as by installing small windows over the apparatus bays to give them height and architectural contrast, Stumbo points out. The station has three double-deep, drive-through apparatus bays, with a mezzanine on one side. The station sits at an intersection with the town’s main street, and access to the rear of the station is off the side street.

While Beaufort’s new station is a one-story structure, it has the look and feel of a two-story station through SCN’s design of a tall entry to </div> <a class=Read more
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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

North Carolina Fire Station Features “Old Town” Character

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO



Beaufort, North Carolina, is a small town established in 1709 and noted as the third oldest town in the state. Its downtown historic district is a blend of Roman and early American architecture, so when the Beaufort Fire Department needed a new fire station, it wanted a structure that fit in with the historic buildings nearby. Beaufort turned to Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects to design a fire station that fulfilled its wishes.

The Beaufort Fire Department traces its roots back to 1866. It’s a combination department currently staffed by 34 firefighters—a mix of full-time, part-time, and volunteers. The department covers 31 square miles and a population of 11,000 and handles 1,200 calls annually from two stations with three engines, a 100-foot tractor-drawn aerial , two tankers, a brush truck, a utility support vehicle, a fireboat, and two command vehicles.

The Beaufort (NC) Fire Department had Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects design and build its new station that has many contemporary features yet evokes an old-time feel that fits with many of the area’s historic buildings. (Photos courtesy of Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects.)

1 The Beaufort (NC) Fire Department had Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects design and build its new station that has many contemporary features yet evokes an old-time feel that fits with many of the area’s historic buildings. (Photos courtesy of Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects.)

IDENTIFYING THE NEED

Larry W. Fulp, Beaufort’s chief, says the new station replaced a building put up in 1968 that was designed to house only one person at a time. “The old station was 5,600 square feet, and half of that space was for truck bays,” Fulp says. “With four firefighters and two administrators on shift, we outgrew the space and looked to replace it for a number of years.”

Jim Stumbo, a principal at SCN, says his firm had done some design work for areas around Beaufort, so the fire department was familiar with its work in the area. “Beaufort sent out a request for proposals for qualifications, reviewed what they received, and we were the one they selected to design a replacement for the station,” Stumbo notes. “They wanted a design that had an old-time feel and character but would still be contemporary. And, they only wanted a single-level station yet wanted it to have the feel of a two-story building.”

SCN accomplished the two-story aesthetic to the new 12,784-square-foot station by building a tall entryway that appears to be two stories as well as by installing small windows over the apparatus bays to give them height and architectural contrast, Stumbo points out. The station has three double-deep, drive-through apparatus bays, with a mezzanine on one side. The station sits at an intersection with the town’s main street, and access to the rear of the station is off the side street.

While Beaufort’s new station is a one-story structure, it has the look and feel of a two-story station through SCN’s design of a tall entry to </div> <a class=Read more
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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Where ARFF Meets Technical Rescue

 
Carl j. Haddon
 
Carl j. Haddon

Hypothetically speaking: It’s a stormy summer night when commercial passenger Flight OU812 comes in for a landing. As it touches down, a rogue gust of crosswind pushes it off the port edge of the runway. In the blink of an eye, this aircraft slides through the grass and through the airport security fence into the adjacent lagoon.

The plane comes to rest on the reef in three to six feet of water approximately two hundred yards from shore. You are part of the small complement of airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) crew on duty at the airport. Now what? Is this an ARFF call? Is this a fire department call?

In this case, the answer to the questions above is yes, this is an ARFF call. Unfortunately, the small municipal fire department here is woefully understaffed, undertrained, and underpaid ($8.00 per hour).

The runways are parallel to each other and are separated by a saltwater “pond” (small lake) that lies between them. These runways are peninsular (surrounded by water on three sides) in nature. There are shallow lagoons on either side of the peninsula, and the water side end of the runways is a natural shelf that drops off to 600 feet deep. (Photo by author.)

1 The runways are parallel to each other and are separated by a saltwater “pond” (small lake) that lies between them. These runways are peninsular (surrounded by water on three sides) in nature. There are shallow lagoons on either side of the peninsula, and the water side end of the runways is a natural shelf that drops off to 600 feet deep. (Photo by author.)

This is one of the exact scenarios I was presented with last fall when I was asked to do some emergency preparedness and response consulting and technical rescue training for an international airport ARFF crew in the South Pacific Islands. This article is not meant to be about me in any way. However, I realized that the challenges that this single scenario presents can easily be modified and applied to many airports here on the mainland of the United States. One very unique difference, however, is that this Pacific Island ARFF crew has VERY few outside resources to depend on coming to help. Those who can help are very likely eight to 12 hours away. As we all know, that kind of time frame often turns what started as rescue operations into recovery operations.

To narrow the scope of this piece a little, let’s look at some of the equipment and apparatus needs that would go into readiness for such a scenario. I will use the actual needs assessment data from the island while trying to keep this piece interesting. Trust me, this is a VERY interesting and challenging project to be working on as the project continues at the time of this writing.

AIRPORT PROFILE

This airport has two major commercial-airliner-length runways. The runways are parallel to each other and are separated by a saltwater “pond” (small lake) that lies between them. These runways

Read more
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  • Article rating: No rating
Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Where ARFF Meets Technical Rescue

 
Carl j. Haddon
 
Carl j. Haddon

Hypothetically speaking: It’s a stormy summer night when commercial passenger Flight OU812 comes in for a landing. As it touches down, a rogue gust of crosswind pushes it off the port edge of the runway. In the blink of an eye, this aircraft slides through the grass and through the airport security fence into the adjacent lagoon.

The plane comes to rest on the reef in three to six feet of water approximately two hundred yards from shore. You are part of the small complement of airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) crew on duty at the airport. Now what? Is this an ARFF call? Is this a fire department call?

In this case, the answer to the questions above is yes, this is an ARFF call. Unfortunately, the small municipal fire department here is woefully understaffed, undertrained, and underpaid ($8.00 per hour).

The runways are parallel to each other and are separated by a saltwater “pond” (small lake) that lies between them. These runways are peninsular (surrounded by water on three sides) in nature. There are shallow lagoons on either side of the peninsula, and the water side end of the runways is a natural shelf that drops off to 600 feet deep. (Photo by author.)

1 The runways are parallel to each other and are separated by a saltwater “pond” (small lake) that lies between them. These runways are peninsular (surrounded by water on three sides) in nature. There are shallow lagoons on either side of the peninsula, and the water side end of the runways is a natural shelf that drops off to 600 feet deep. (Photo by author.)

This is one of the exact scenarios I was presented with last fall when I was asked to do some emergency preparedness and response consulting and technical rescue training for an international airport ARFF crew in the South Pacific Islands. This article is not meant to be about me in any way. However, I realized that the challenges that this single scenario presents can easily be modified and applied to many airports here on the mainland of the United States. One very unique difference, however, is that this Pacific Island ARFF crew has VERY few outside resources to depend on coming to help. Those who can help are very likely eight to 12 hours away. As we all know, that kind of time frame often turns what started as rescue operations into recovery operations.

To narrow the scope of this piece a little, let’s look at some of the equipment and apparatus needs that would go into readiness for such a scenario. I will use the actual needs assessment data from the island while trying to keep this piece interesting. Trust me, this is a VERY interesting and challenging project to be working on as the project continues at the time of this writing.

AIRPORT PROFILE

This airport has two major commercial-airliner-length runways. The runways are parallel to each other and are separated by a saltwater “pond” (small lake) that lies between them. These runways

Read more
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